Here and Now

Today I reviewed my life plan. Wow. It made me cringe to think how ostentatious I was when I wrote it. It's a very self-centered document, focused around my desires, wishes, and goals with very little regard to God's kingdom. Personal goals are good, but they should do more than provide mere window-dressing or lip-service to the Author of the Universe.

Well... I won't say that the entire document was out of whack. Getting married by age 25 would be a good thing, though the timing is ultimately up to God. Doing some domestic traveling in my mid-30's would be excellent, though I'd be better served by traveling with a Godly ulterior motive.

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking about life.  For some reason, God's pointed me in a very tech-oriented direction for now. He doesn't seem to be leading me into the ministry, or long-term missions. My one-time Ph.D. ambitions seem to have been misplaced, so a life of academia won't be mine either.

Where does He seem to be leading? Well, He's instilled in me a love for my country, and a patriotic spirit desiring a respect for God to be expressed by our people once again. It may be that He wants me to serve in some kind of political role, to somehow apply a proper understanding of history to the problems we face as a country.

I'm not a great debater or exegetical master, but I know what I believe and am willing to state it publicly. As a youth, I lack the wisdom that comes with years, and the authority that comes of serving in a leadership role. Nevertheless, in the years and decades to follow, I want to learn to be a leader of men, to be a scholar of truth, and to be a champion of Jesus Christ.

In my life plan, I had written that "by the age of 55...I will begin to scale back my work load". This is folly. The world says that when your prime of life is over, there's nothing left but taking it easy for the remainder of life. Duties shift, certainly, but retirement is not a concept taught in Scripture. At the age of 55, Ronald Reagan stepped into the political arena by being elected governor of California. Fourteen years later, he would assume the most powerful office in the world, bringing to bear a passion and eloquence that would ensure a legacy lasting far beyond his death.

God has the ultimate perspective on life. In 30 years, He knows exactly where you should be serving, and He knows exactly what needs to happen now to get you there. Trust his will, and there's no limit to how He can use you.

It looks like I'll be doing a rewrite of my life plan.